How to spring clean your home in five easy steps

The weather is starting to feel a little fresher which means spring is on the horizon and it’s time to plan that all-important spring clean. We all know it feels amazing to be on top of your housework and a thorough declutter and cleanse is the ultimate fresh start. This is why we’ve put together our top five steps to spring cleaning your home, to put you on the path to a sparkling house.

The five steps to spring cleaning your home

Declutter and clear out

Make your bathroom sparkle

Don’t forget the niggly jobs

Spruce up kitchen appliances

Deep clean all floors and carpets

It may feel like there’s an overwhelming amount to be done
to spring clean your home, but if the tasks are
broken down it’s more than manageable. Imagine how accomplished you’ll feel
after all of your sprucing efforts!

1. Declutter and clear out

A planned decluttering session is the perfect place to
start, when you embark on a spring clean. By
first getting rid of unwanted items, you’re left with only the essentials to
clean and reorganise. Having a thorough sift through all of your belongings is also
an incredibly therapeutic task. Follow these steps to achieve a successful
declutter.

Grab a bin bag for things you want to throw away,
another for things you’d like to give to charity and arm yourself with boxes
for things you may want to keep
in storage.

Move methodically from room to room in an order that
makes the most sense to you.

Ask yourself if you still need everything you come
across – be ruthless.

Your wardrobe could end up being your biggest victim –
use this as an opportunity to relieve yourself of those items of clothing
you’ve kept ‘just in case’.

The same goes for shoes – giving footwear you don’t
even look at to charity could benefit someone in need rather than living
untouched in the bottom of your wardrobe.

Some people love having a full bookcase, but if you’re
not attached to your literature then you could have a cleanse.

You get the idea – be ruthless with your decisions and for those things you can’t bring yourself to part with, box them up and invest in a storage unit. If after a year of experiencing all seasons, you haven’t needed to use the storage items – it’s time to let go!

2. Make your bathroom sparkle

No one wants to clean themselves in a dirty bathroom, so a spring clean is the perfect opportunity to make it
sparkle. Here’s what we suggest!

Scrub your toilet.

Give the bath and/or shower (depending on what you
have) a thorough clean.

Clean the hand basin and mirror to get rid of those
pesky splashes of toothpaste.

Treat taps and shower heads to get rid of lingering
limescale.

Wash and dry all bath mats and towels.

Rid your bathroom of all empty toiletry bottles and
replace with new products.

At the end of your spring cleaning efforts, your bathroom
will be a spotless haven to relax in a bubble-filled tub. It will definitely be
worth it!

3. Don’t forget the niggly jobs

There’s nothing more annoying (and demoralising) after a spring clean than sitting down to relax to then spot a
cobweb in the corner of your living room. Get into all those nooks and crannies
with the help our list of niggly jobs that often get forgotten.

Hoover all of your walls and ceilings and wipe down.
This might seem overly thorough but think of how often you spray products like
deodorant and hairspray around – these will have stuck to the walls over the
year.

Dust and clean down all surfaces in your home, plus all
cabinets, bookshelves, electronics and
also dust in all corners.

Move furniture to clean under and behind.

Dust then clean the windows, window sills and window
frames (while you’re at it you could give your blinds and curtains a spruce up
too.)

Dust and clean lampshades and light bulbs.

Hoover and clean the upholstery of your sofa, including
your cushions and throws.

4. Spruce up kitchen appliances

We make our ovens, microwaves and fridges work very hard for
us, each and every day. So it’s important to give these appliances a deep clean
to maintain full working order and also for hygiene purposes. Follow these
steps for a happier kitchen.

Clean your oven
– If you don’t think you can face doing it yourself, you could always find
a professional oven cleaner local
to you to lend a hand. Otherwise, that tub of bicarbonate
of soda sitting in your cupboard could become your best friend. Pop some in a
bottle with some water and spray in your oven and leave overnight (avoid the
oven heating elements) then wipe clean. Vinegar is great for removing leftover
bicarbonate of soda.

Clean out your
fridge – First, remove of the food out of the refrigerator (take this
opportunity to throw out anything that might be on the turn or out of date) and
then remove all of the shelves and drawers. Give them a soak in warm soapy
water and use a similar solution with a sponge to wipe down the inside of the
fridge. Dry everything down and replace the shelves and then the food.

Clean out your
microwave – the nature of a microwave oven is that things heat up quickly
meaning there’s a high chance of stubborn food mess. So a great way to loosen
these stains is to steam it off – put equal measures of vinegar and water in a
dish inside the microwave until it creates steam. You will then be able to wipe
away the grime with far more ease, leaving your microwave spotless.

Clean out your
toaster – Toasters become a haven for burnt crumbs that can lead to a
horrid smell in the morning when making breakfast. Clean out the crumb tray and
tip the toaster to remove any leftovers. Unplug and use an old, dry paintbrush
to get in the nooks and crannies.

Descale your
kettle – It’s incredible how quickly limescale can build up in your kettle,
so grab some descaling solution and follow the instructions to remove any
residue in the bottle of the appliance. You can pick up a descaling solution
from your local supermarket.

Cleaning the interior of your much-used kitchen appliances
during your spring clean will leave them looking
brand new. Getting rid of all that dirt is also a great therapeutic task.

5. Deep clean all floors and carpets

Now you’ve cleaned everything above floor level it’s time to
look down. There’s little point in cleaning your floors first – when you get to
business with your dusting and cleaning, it’s inevitable you will shift some
dirt to the floor. So leave cleaning your floors until last.

Start with some meticulous sweeping and vacuuming to
pick up all the loose dirt and dust from your floors

For hard floors, it’s now time to put your mop and
bucket to good use. For anything more stubborn you may need to embrace your
inner Cinders and use a sponge and some old fashioned elbow grease – remember
to get in the corners and clean skirting boards, too

Carpet cleaning – either invest in a carpet cleaner,
borrow or hire one and give your carpets and rugs a much needed clean. If you
discover any stains then treat them before you use a machine.

And that’s it! Follow these steps and your house has
officially received the spring cleaning treatment. When you’re carrying out all
of the tasks during your spring clean remember
to throw open some windows to give your home a dose of fresh air. That feels
better, doesn’t it?